THE realities of rural poverty must be acknowledged by the rest of Wales, farming leaders warned yesterday as a major report exposed fears for the future of core services.

Calls were made to protect the future of Wales’ remote communities by ensuring broadband access.

A bold proposal was made for a “community right to buy” which would give local people the chance to take ownership of facilities such as closed schools.

Ed Bailey, president of farming union NFU Cymru, said the depth of poverty found in the countryside had to be addressed.

He said: “The high quality environment and landscape that characterises much of Wales often makes it difficult for those in authority to accept that poverty and deprivation exist at all in rural areas and this report highlights only some of the issues associated with living in deep rural localities.”

He warned that services were often “few and far between” and the problem was “particularly acute for the elderly and low income households without access to private transport”.

Stressing the lack of homes within the budget of local residents, he said: “Intensive external pressures on a limited housing stock, coupled with restrictive planning policies have combined to create a situation in parts of rural Wales where affordable housing to buy or rent is well beyond the means of many people, particularly those seeking to get a first step on the property ladder.”

His concerns were echoed by Farmers’ Union of Wales president Gareth Vaughan, who said: “We have regularly called for planning changes to allow for more affordable housing in a bid to stem the migration of young people from rural areas. Increased public transport provision and improved broadband and mobile phone coverage are also a crucial necessity for those living and working in Wales’ numerous isolated communities.”

Access to communications services was no longer an optional extra, he said. “These services are no longer merely desirable for rural dwellers – they are vital in enabling rural businesses to survive in these modern times.

“Farmers are increasingly required to access the internet to comply with new legislation affecting their livelihoods and traditional way of life and the FUW has long campaigned for reliable broadband and mobile phone reception to be widely extended.

“Meanwhile, rural dwellers have to face up to higher council taxes than urban areas, increasing their cost of living, yet still experience repeated cuts in vital services.”

Their comments came as Assembly Members debated research by the Wales Rural Observatory which found that 36% of respondents said general service provision in their local area was “poor” or “very poor”.

The Deep Rural Localities report is based on a study of communities located at least 30 minutes drive from a centre with a population of more than 10,000.

This research found 63% of participants rated hospital provision as “poor” or “very poor”.

And while 91% of respondents considered broadband access essential or desirable, only 51% were able to connect to high-speed services.

Nerys Owens, a researcher at the Wales Rural Observatory, said that although the report highlighted challenges in remote rural areas, it also showed that 94% of respondents rated their quality of life as either “very good” or “fairly good”.

She said: “ I think there were clear concerns about service provision such as the withdrawal of retail outlets and centralisation of services more generally and the limited provision of public transport.”

There were widespread concerns about the sustainability of communities and 75% of respondents believed a school to be “essential” in their local area.

Even more people – 82% – said a post office was essential.

Public transport was generally rated as poor.

Nearly a third did not have central heating; the same proportion lacked loft insulation and 31% did not have double glazing.

Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones yesterday welcomed the findings of the report and pledged to explore all options to ensure that people in remote areas of Wales have access to the internet.

The Plaid Cymru AM said her department was in debate with the Economic Development Ministry about how to tackle this challenge. Stating that satellite-based services would be considered, she said: “We as a Government are looking at all technologies to serve communities that presently have not-spots.”

Stressing that the evidence suggested people in isolated areas did not have unrealistic demands, she said: “Their expectations of what is possible in terms of services is relatively low to start with.”

She also called for “new solutions” to the challenge of providing public transport in rural areas.

Labour AM Brian Gibbons said poverty was the greatest obstacle to people in Wales making the most of opportunities online. He said: “The real digital divide in Wales is based on social and economic inequality.”

Glyn Davies, president of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales, predicted demand for better broadband access will become the defining issue in the years ahead.

He said: “I don’t doubt at all that in 10 years the big issue will be access to communication and the internet.”

He said it was essential for many businesses and the lack of provision would stop families moving into communities.

Mr Davies said: “People are concerned about house prices.

“If you live in an area without broadband the number of people who will want to live in it will diminish.”

He also feared that rural areas were not receiving the support and the attention its residents deserved, saying: “Clearly, we are seeing a contraction of public services. That’s been an ongoing issue.

“I think it will accelerate over the next few years simply because of the pressure on local authorities.”